“Come on, let’s go sit outside. It’s a beautiful night.”
She followed me out and sat down on the chair opposite the patio sofa. I watched her cross and uncross her ankle a few times.
“Miles, I need…”
“Vicky, I wanted to…”
We chuckled and I said, “Please, can I go first?”
“Sure, sorry.” She sat back and seemed to relax somewhat.
I cleared my throat and took a big swig of my own water, noticing hers was still unopened on the glass table in front of her, condensation already forming in the unusually warm evening air.
“Vicky, so much has happened in the last few months. Moving here was the best decision I’ve made for MJ and me. I’ve loved seeing her surrounded by family. Wish I had done it sooner.” I adjusted in my seat and went on as she listened intently.
“Then I walked in one evening to find you standing in my daughter’s bedroom. I gotta tell you, you stunned me. Not only because you’re beautiful, but you were listening to everything MJ was saying. Little did I know that you had just taken a picture that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
For the first time since she entered the house, I saw the Vicky I had come to know. Her genuinesmile lit up the now darkened space.
“Miles,youwere the inspiration for that photo. All I did was capture it,” Vicky protested.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. Like I’ve told you before, most people would have missed that small detail.”
“Thank you, again. It means a lot to me when my vision is appreciated.”
I couldn’t help feeling like I was having a conversation with Vicky the designer, not Vicky the woman I was falling in love with, and I needed to change that.
“Vicky,” I said, taking her hand in mine across the table that separated us, her eyes fixed on our joined hands. “I need to say this before I get too nervous to say it right.”
Her amber eyes jumped to mine and softened slightly.
Rubbing my thumb over her soft knuckles, I said, “Like I was saying, you’ve swept into my life and honestly, knocked the wind right out of me. I wasn’t expecting you. You’ve made me feel things I haven’t felt for so long I wondered if I ever would again.”
“Miles…” she said softly.
“Wait. Please. Hear me out. I never want to hold you back or make you feel like you can’t chase your dreams. I want to be the one cheering you on every step of the way. I need to know, though, areyoufeeling this too? This deep connection? I see it when we look at each other. When I hold you, I feel it, but I need to hear you say it, Vicky.”
Her eyes bounced between mine, her lips twitching like she washolding back her words. My pleading eyes must’ve been enough for her to speak. When she opened her mouth, I braced myself for possible rejection. Again.
“Miles, there’s no way to deny this pull I feel toward you. Deny that every time I’m with you, I hate to leave, then count the hours til I get to see you again,” she said with conviction. Her words made my heart feel like a balloon that was about to burst with joy.
With a huge smile I could hardly contain, I said, “That makes me incredibly happy.” I wanted to laugh, cry, yell at the top of my voice, “she likes me too!”
We’d have to take it slow. There was the question of her visa. More importantly, I had to be careful with MJ and her expectations because regardless of what happened, Vicky’s career would be a priority.
“Wait, let me finish. First, I need to hear that you talked to Katy.”
“I did. I told you before, and nothing will ever change the fact that she and I will never get back together. She’s seeing all she’s missed and is trying,reallytrying with MJ. That’s all. In fact, she had a lot to say about what she sees between us,” I answered, gesturing my finger between her and myself.
Vicky’s brows furrowed, and I wanted to reach out and smooth them. But I knew if I touched her now, I’d never get everything out I wanted to say. She needed to know my feelings before we moved any further. I wasn’t ready to say the words, as Dad had suggested. Not yet, anyway. But I wanted to make it clear to her that I was interested in more than just friendship.
“That’s surprising,” she said, huffing out a laugh.
“I thought so, too, but she was sincere. Katy understands now that you mean a lot to me. But I don’t want to talk about her tonight. I want to talk aboutyou. And me,” I said, pouring all my feelings into the way I was looking at her, hoping she was feeling it.
“Wait, Miles…”
“Please, you said you’d let me talk first. I just needed to hear that you felt what I felt before I continued.”
